


your tulips on mine: extended author's notes

by leftishark



Series: fem!sheith flower shop au [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 10:16:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20006668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leftishark/pseuds/leftishark





	your tulips on mine: extended author's notes

I try not to write disability as tragic or insecurity about it as a plot or character point. While I otherwise only want to hear nice things about my writing, I welcome criticism on this point if I’ve fallen short. 

Bikes and Blades hosts bike maintenance workshops for women and nonbinary/gender nonconforming cyclists; some are specifically for women and nb/gnc cyclists of color. (Bikes and Blades breaks my _Galra are the white people of the Voltron universe_ rule.)

Keith is a relatively experienced bike mechanic and works the afternoon-evening shift 1-9pm at the bike shop so that she’s there in the evening when people come in after work. She does often talk to customers. Thank you to my friend who works at a bike shop and griped about poor staffing practices for this information.

The Shirogane Family Florists donate their extra flowers alternatingly to the migrant shelter and the women’s shelter. 

Shiro works out for her mental health and as a way to keep lupus under control. She’s well aware that exercise doesn’t work for everyone, especially those with lupus, but it’s helped her a lot. 

Shiro’s arm was amputated because of Raynaud’s phenomenon, a common complication of lupus (among other causes) that restricts blood flow. In real life, fingers or toes are usually affected, not the whole arm. Shiro and her parents have set up the flower shop with accommodations like a stand on the counter that holds the flowers so she can cut them.

I get wayyy too into fic research. If you're curious, check out some of these sources.

**_On lupus and disability_ **  
[interview with a student with lupus who ran the blog below](https://the-peak.ca/2016/10/an-interview-with-zoya-jiwa-the-sfu-student-changing-the-fabric-of-our-lives/)  
[blog interviewing disabled people about clothing, fashion, and life perspective ](https://aswearestyle.com/about/)  
[on exercise and sports with lupus](https://www.elitefts.com/education/motivation/training-and-living-with-lupus-a-trial-by-fire/)  
[a woman with lupus for whom crossfit has reduced lupus symptoms](https://journal.crossfit.com/article/lupus-achauer-2)  
[lupus among women of color](https://www.self.com/story/lupus-women-of-color)  
[how lupus affects the body and skin](https://www.hopkinslupus.org/lupus-info/lupus-affects-body/skin-lupus/)  
[on living with lupus](https://www.health.com/lupus/lupus-real-people-stories)  
[on raynaud’s phenomenon, one picture but it's mild](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/raynauds-phenomenon)  
[also this one, no pictures](https://limbpreservation.ucsf.edu/conditions--procedures/raynauds-syndrome.aspx)

**_On florists and the floral industry_ **  
[a history of the California floral industry](https://www.cafgs.org/flowers-the-ca-way)  
[pet friendly flowers and plants (though I didn’t really use this) ](https://floranext.com/florist-guide-to-pet-friendly-flowers-and-plants/)  
[florists behind the scenes](http://mentalfloss.com/article/90606/14-behind-scenes-secrets-florists)  
[ florist way of life](https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/florist-title-way-life/)  
[dudleya poaching](https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/9327697-181/plant-smugglers-take-massive-toll?fbclid=IwAR3lyQHT7y9Y5HoiVt9SoCHIsYf9Rv8cCUgTQT6blu0oD70-CSG8tuFqX8I)  
[how to propagate dudleya](https://homeguides.sfgate.com/propagate-dudleya-31219.html)

**_On bike shops_ **  
[a women’s bike shop](http://theunlikelycyclist.com/)  
[ a real bike shop called bikes and blades](https://mybikesandblades.com/)  
[a 1994 NYT article on rollerblade commuting](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/17/nyregion/confessions-of-an-in-line-commuter.html)

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss any of this in the comments!


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